Becoming Grey
by Lucy Kent
Summary: The story of Helena Ravenclaw's Death and what follows.


**Written for the Ultimate Battle Competition and the Greek Mythological Mega Prompt Challenge**

 **Word Count: 1,608**

 **Angsty**

* * *

The first thing she knew was the cold. It surrounded her, penetrated her, and she knew it would never leave. Than she knew herself. She didn't remember much, but she knew her name. Helena. Opening her eyes, she tried to find where she was. It didn't help much. She was in a forest that showed no sign of human life. She moved forward, frustrated at her lack of knowledge. She failed to notice the two bodies on the ground behind her. She moved through the trees and noticed the heat. She couldn't feel it, but she could see it in the trees and animals. She could even almost hear it in the bugs. But it was still so cold.

As she continued to travel, some of her knowledge returned to her, although the memories were still absent. She knew she was in Albania. She couldn't remember why, but she could feel shame. She could also feel a strange flash of fear and anger. She focused on these and slowly her first memory returned. It was the moment of her death.

* * *

Fear raced through her veins and her feet pounded ever further into the trees. She wasn't sure how the man had found her. But she had never expected him to raise his wand at her. He was a far better duelist and so she ran. She wished she had stayed around people, instead of living in that little cottage. But she was avoiding people in the first place. She was sure her mother would tell the world of Helena's betrayal. But instead her mother had sent that monster! Helena gulped deeply and held the diadem to her chest. He couldn't be allowed to have it. She didn't trust him not to take it.

Helena quickly looked behind her and saw that he had fallen behind. It was to expected as he was probably three times her weight. Taking the chance she spotted a hollow tree to her left. She quickly ran to it. She broke a small hole in the bottom of the trunk and pushed the diadem in. Helena checked behind her shoulder once again, but he still hadn't caught up. She quickly cast every protection charm and spell she knew. She even added a few more Darker spells. But than she heard him. She stood quickly and began to run again. He was close enough to fire a few spells at her, and she felt fear grow anew at the rage in his voice.

She felt the spell hit her foot. Ice grew to incase it, and while she looked down she tripped over a root and fell. She tried to stand but the the unweildy ice hindered her. His hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. She struggled and pounded her fists on his chest. Her eyes spotted her wand where it had fallen. She desperately tried to escape so that she might retrieve it. She kicked him between the legs and he dropped her. She scrabbled toward her ward, but than she heard him cast a dark spell. Pain stabbed her back. He was silent. Her back spilled blood on the ground beneath her.

Her breathing was getting harder, and something was choking her. She coughed and blood splattered on the ground beneath her. He started to mutter "no" repeatedly and pulled something from her back. The sensation caused her knees to buckle and her stomach hit the ground. Pain raced down her back and she choked back a scream. She heard him whispering healing spells as quick as he could. But she knew it was too late. His words were being downed out by the sound of her beating heart. They started to slow. She vaguely felt her body being lifted. Registered him cradling her to his chest, but the world had already gone so hazy. She just wished she had apologized to her mother...

* * *

Helena felt her heard clench. He had done this. That Baron Blishwick had killed her! Rage seeped through her once again. She had no way to vent her anger and so she leaned her head back and roared.

A gasp drew her attention. As she looked over, she spotted him. He was a ghost. He was here. HE HAD KILLED HER! Anger filled her even more and she flew to his face. He looked horrified and terrified and she gnashed her teeth at him. "Look what you've done!" He said nothing. "You killed me! You who said you were in love with me! You dared to get violent with me!"

"I'm sorry."

Incredulity filled her. 'You're sorry? YOU'RE SORRY? Do you possibly think that I would accept that? Do you possibly think I could even forgive you for this? Why did you eve follow me in the first place? I had been doing fine. I had been surviving! Than you had to show up and ruin everything. You have always ruined everything. This is why I said I wouldn't marry you. I had guessed my life would turn out for the worst. But I would never have guessed that my life would have been cut short by your greedy immature nature!" He said nothing, just looked at the ground beneath them. It was the most humble she had ever seen him, and it seemed to only fuel her rage. "WHY?"

"Your mother..." He muttered.

"Speak louder! You are... well I guess were a baron. Are barons weak-willed simpletons?"

He glared at her slightly. "Your mother asked me to come find you?"

"So you kill me? Well done there! I know my mother must be angry, but even she would not ask for my death."

He gulped. "No. Helena... she is dying."

The rage disappeared. The coldness seemed to sink even deeper. "I need to speak with her. I need to speak with her now! Where is she?"

"Hogwarts, but I..." Helena didn't pause, she immediately raced to Hogwarts. It took only took a week to make the distance and she was grateful for her ghost being if only that it didn't tire from the trip. The moment she spotted the castle she raced inside. She flew to her mother's room and halted at the doorway. Inside was nothing. There was no one.

Helena raced through Hogwarts looking for anyone who could tell her where her mother was. Finally she spotted Godric. "Godric!" The man looked up in surprise and than in shock when he noticed who and what she was.

"Helena is that you?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Helena shook her head vigoriously. "That's not important right now. Where is my mother?" Godric looked to the floor. But he said nothing. Some part of her knew what that meant, but still she persisted. "Where is my mother? Tell me Godric."

"Helena... Rowena is... she..." Godric took a deep breath. "Your mother passed away a few days ago."

Helena went numb with the cold that seemed to only grow closer. She gasped for a breath she didn't need. She tried to think of it. Her mother was dead. She had never asked for forgiveness. She had never said goodbye. She had never hugged her mother one last time. She hadn't been there.

"Helena..."

"No."

"What?"

"I don't want to be Helena anymore. I don't deserve it. I was a horrible daughter. I don't have the right to bare the name she gave me."

"Now Helena, you know..."

"No! I'm Helena no longer. I'm just a ghost anyway."

There was a silence between them before Godric reached up and put his hand near where her's would was. "She did always love you, you know?" The ghost did not reply. Godric sighed at what the little girl he remembered had become. "Why don't you stay here."

The ghost looked up. "Why?'

"Because a castle that is not haunted is no fun at all." the man said with a smirk. The ghost nodded and floated up to the tower that had been her mother's. She remained silent for nearly 200 years. She observed the students who came and went. She watched all those she knew die. Still she did not speak. She grew numb to all but the cold that was her constant companion. Her need for knowledge wished to know if all ghosts felt the cold, or if it was only her, but she pushed it back.

300 years after her death was when the first mention of "The Grey Lady" was heard. It stuck quickly to the ghost no student knew. The Grey Lady watched as the school grew far larger then the founders could have predicted. She noticed with the Baron appeared in the school, but did not allow him within 50 feet of her. She found it morbidly amusing that he had picked up the name Bloody Baron on the way. His name was quickly forgotten as well.

Students would try and talk to her occasionally, she would be polite, but did not invite a friendship with them. She had seen hundreds of lives come and go. She kept herself distant from the other ghosts, unwilling to hear their stories of death, or even tell her own. She found that she was rather lonely. But it was a fitting punishment for one such as her. However when a young boy named Tom Riddle came to her, he had already discovered her name. She didn't allow him to call her Helena, but just knowing that he knew. She found herself opening up, and she found trust in the boy. Finally, the day came where she told of her death. That was the last day she saw the boy.


End file.
